Our Leadership

Jay Kowal  

For the last 17 years my family and I have been active members of the Kol Ami community and I look forward to a productive and successful year ahead. I am returning to the board for my 10th year after a 1 year hiatus. Having in the past acted as 2nd Vice President and Secretary, and chairing committees such as the Festival and Sabbatical, I anticipate taking a key role as we move forward in our new building and with our new staff. Kol Ami has been key in our families involvement, celebration and education around issues of Judaism and Jewish life in Canadian society today and in the future.

Edward Yudin 

My wife Annie and I have been members at Kol Ami for more than a decade and have made valued
friends here. Our son Jeremy had his Bar Mitzvah at Kol Ami while our daughter Hannah actively
participates in services and as a volunteer for social action.

I’ve been a board member for a total of six years, including three years on the executive as First Vice-
President and for the past six years as Membership Committee Chair. 

                          I had a 30 -year career in the Ontario Public Service as a communications and public relations advisor.
                          Prior to that, I was a journalist in print, radio and TV platforms. I am now semi-retired and using my
                          career experience to contribute to Kol Ami.

Sara Hollander

When I was growing up, my family never belonged to a congregation, and it was always something I felt was missing in my Jewish life. My husband, Brian Elkin, and I first joined Temple Kol Ami in the fall of 2017 to try out the High Holiday services and Hebrew School for our then 5-year-old son. After attending a most inspiring and beautiful Simcha Torah service & celebration led by Rabbi Streiffer, we knew we belonged here and were immediately welcomed by the community. Since then, I have joined several TKA committees and become more immersed in the wonderful events and                               programs that Kol Ami has to offer.

                           Outside of Kol Ami, I am a graphic designer with over 20 years of experience working in-house for a variety of industries                             including healthcare, legal & financial, and real estate. 

                           I am honoured to join the Board and look forward to contributing my ideas and supporting the development of the Kol                                 Ami community.

Sam Frisz

Barbara and I have been members of Kol Ami since 1988. Our family has grown up  through Kol Ami and watch it become a vital part of the Jewish community. I am  returning to the Board to help guide and sustain this wonderful community. 

Professionally for the most part of the past 40 years I have been in the real estate  development and property management industry. As a licensed accountant and  with my business experience I look forward to assisting in a                                       stewardship role on the Board.   

Dot Bernhard

Kol Ami has played a crucial part in my Jewish journey. I reached out to Kol Ami in 2020 when I was ready to take the first step towards converting to Judaism. I was invited with open arms to join Shabbat Services and Torah studies and have been an active participant since day one. Through the love and support of the Kol Ami community, I successfully converted to Judaism.

                        Outside of Kol Ami, I am in the Digital Leadership team at Best Buy Canada. I manage the Best Buy digital strategy and I                            am honoured to share my digital and marketing knowledge and support Kol Ami and the community. I am co-chair of the                            Marketing Committee, and I run Kol Ami's Social Media channels. Our work increases Kol Ami's exposure through our                                  marketing activities and reaches out to those looking for a Progressive, Inclusive, Musical, Reform Jewish community.

Jen Kowal

I have been a member of Temple Kol Ami since 2005. My husband Jay, and my children Benjamin and Sydney are all active members as well. As soon as we joined, we felt welcomed and embraced by the TKA community. I have been enjoying singing with the choir for the last 17 years. I am a member of the book club and Chair of the High Holiday Committee.

                            Outside of Kol Ami, I am a stage manager primarily for the Canadian Opera Company. I am originally from Texas but am                              proud to have obtained my Canadian citizenship!

                            I am looking forward to this new chapter as a 1st Vice President and look forward to the exciting opportunities that will                                arise in our new space.

Lynda Levenstein

My husband Ralph and I have been members of Kol Ami for over 18 years. This is my second stint on the board.  I am chair of our religious school, which suits me well since I am a semi-retired secondary school teacher with the TDSB. I have two adult children, Ari and Esty-both had Bar/Bat Mitzvahs at TKA. The also finished the entire school program, confirming at age 16. We are members of a Chavarah at Kol Ami and have made many friends over the years.            

 Marc Flisfeder

 Our family joined Kol Ami in 2018 and have been active members ever since. My wife was previously a member of the   Executive and our daughter attends the supplementary school program. In addition to being a member of the Board,   I am also the drummer in our house rock band, Shtyx. 

  Outside of Kol Ami, I am a lawyer at a national law firm and an avid baseball fan. 

  I am honoured to join the Board and look forward to helping build a community where young families can be Jewish      the way they've always wanted to be! 

Richard Bornstein  

I have been a member of TKA since around 1995 and joined the choir about 10 years ago. Many of our friends (Wendy   and myself) are currently members. I have been a Chiropractor for about 42 years and was a peer assessor for my   profession for 12 years and sang with the Toronto Jewish Chorus for about 6 years.  

Rich Kowal      

When our kids were young we were looking for a place to send them to Hebrew School (or as Cara my wife would say  Religious School). Kol Ami was the obvious place for us. We had attended a Bar-Mitzvah at Kol Ami; at the same time,  there was a “Baby Naming” for two Chinese girls that had been adopted.  The girls were dressed in traditional Chinese dress. The message I got from Kol Ami was “Welcome to Judaism. We accept all, but expect that you always remember who you are.”. We joined, our kids Julian and Hanna went through the school and were teaching assistants in the classrooms too. We often (before Covid that is) come to the Rock Shabbat services. I worked on the                                         education committee for a number of years.

                               Outside of Kol Ami, I’ve worked as a Software Developer since the Internet was called “Bulletin Boards”. I love to                                         learn and see new things, hang out with family and friends and get up to the “The Kowal Cottage” as much as                                             possible.

                               I have a “Get ‘er done!” attitude. I would like to bring that attitude to the Kol Ami board.

Annie Papernick  

I am honoured to be a member of the Kol Ami board, where I can utilize my skills as a clinical social
worker to contribute to the future of our synagogue. I have been Chair and now co-chair of the Social
Action Committee of Kol Ami for six years. I was co-chair of the Family Advisory Council at Baycrest in
past few years.

 I have belonged to Kol Ami with my husband, Edward, and our young adult children, Hannah and
                           Jeremy, for more than ten years. I have been particularly drawn to Kol Ami because of the warmth of its
                           members and the beautiful component of the music, which intersperses the service.

                           I recognize the importance the congregation continues to have in my life, from celebrating my adult Bat
                           Mitzvah, to comforting me on the loss of my parents. I appreciate the opportunity to give back to the
                           congregation as a board member.

 Wayne Haymer

I have been an active member of Kol Ami since 1990 where I experienced much
personal growth and made lasting friendships. I have been on several
committees, enjoy leading and learning Torah study, have provided accounting
support for 16 years, spent 20 years on the Adult Education committee where I
established partnerships with York University Jewish Studies Program, a Muslim
community at the Noor Cultural Centre, Beth El Congregation in Windsor and
brought in several Indigenous speakers.

                          Some of my volunteering outside Kol Ami includes helping over 50 new Canadians
                          obtain their first job in Canada, setting up and running a university memorial
                          scholarship, mentoring university business graduates, teaching college business
                          students in Xi’an China, developing and presenting tax seminars for accounting
                          students and participating on a committee to organize professional development
                          programs for a consortium accounting firms in Toronto.